The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-25

the sons of farmers would still en-,
ioy in common with all others that
general training which is Of the ut
most Importance in enabling its pos
SCISSOR to enter into this fierce intel
lectual competition now raging
throughout the civilized world, the
want of which training compels the
farmers son or anybody else's son
to take back seat or be run over.
But the State does much more.
Not only giving the farmers son that
broad culture he cannot secure in a
low grade specialized school, she
provides for him separate depart
ment, in which he can also obtain
special technical, practical training.
Students who desire to become law
yers are shrewd enough generally to
take thorough academic course and
finish off in the law department, and
farmers sons should at least receive
the same kind of preparatory train
ing in order to fit them to cope with
these alleged "enemies Of their race" J."
Again, as military training is one
of the features in all separate agri-
cultural colleges, the Citadel should
not be reviled for training "soldiers. y
AS it is still mooted question what
constitutes practical agricultural ed
education, it can only be argued, not
proven, whether this State gives such
or not. But the fact is that the plan
of education provided by South Caro-
lima is in the same line as that given
by twenty-four States in the Union,
and its legality is recognized by
Congress, by Legislatures of States,
and by large majority of the people
of the Union.
The charge that the farmers son
cannot obtain a practical mechanical
education can be directly disproved.
Thirty or forty students during the
past year have been engaged in labor
in the workshops of the South Caro-.
lima College, and when they shall
have completed their course they will
know more about ordinary wood and
iron work than many ofthe carpenters
and blacksmiths in the State, besides
being thoroughly trained in mechan.
ical drawing and in the theory Of ma.
chinery, kinematics, mechanical tech,
nology. &c. 1t is question of taste
whether it is better for the farmer
son, or lawyers, or doctors, OF
preachers son to pay money in col
lege to learn how TO fork manure,
cut wood and chop cotton, without
knowing how to handle tools, or to
permit him to acquire the details OF
unskilled labor at home, and learn at
college how to frame buildings, weld
tires, sharpen ploughs, rig up ma
chinery and do other skilled op'
erations which would otherwise en-.
tail loss of time and money.
The Mississippi College pursues
the former course; the South Caro-.
lima the latter. Manual labor is re.
quired in both places, the only differ
ence being that the South Carolina
College gives that training which
cannot be given at home, while the
Mississippi College, during it's sever
years of existence, has taken nc
steps to give instruction in the use
of tools, or other skilled mechanical
labor. AS already said there are
between thirty and forty students in
the South Carolina College acquiring
this practical mechanical training
The charge, then, that the farmers
! son cannot secure this training must
be charitably ascribcd to sheer ig
norance hardly excusable, since 8
half hours visit to the College OF
five minutes perusal of its catalogue
would have dispelled it.
I close for the present.
Columbia, S. c., August l3, 1887
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